Celebrate Intellectual Freedom during Banned Books Week 2016!

Let’s – all readers – come together in support of Banned Books Week (September 25th to October 1st ), an annual commemoration of our right to access every brilliant piece of literature our writers provide us.

Thanks to the Banned Books Week Coalition – a national alliance of organizations that value the right to read as much as we do – an entire week has been dedicated to celebrating that very freedom every year since 1982. It came about at a time when the number of books challenged by information stiflers shot into the thousands. Between now and then, more than 11,300 books have been removed or under threat of removal from libraries and school curriculum. This is primarily the work of outraged moralists, religious groups and protective parents worried for the corruption of our youth. Perhaps equally outraged is the entire book community – the librarians, authors, publishers, teachers and readers – who understand the harms of censorship as much as the significance of free information sharing. Banned Books Week pays tribute to their continued effort to keep our thoughts and ideas accessible to all.

“A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice.” ~ American Library Association

You may not be surprised that Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James is a contender for one of the top ten most challenged books of 2015. But not just because its graphic content is unsuitable for young adults. Apparently, it was far too “poorly written.” Who knew bad writing could get a book banned? Even less surprising is #6, The Holy Bible. Expressing a religious viewpoint is even more touchy than admitting a sexual preference.

Then there are books that have been challenged or banned for ridiculous reasons. Some people took offense to Where’s Waldo by Martin Handford because one beach scene in the 1987 version had “side boob.” Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin was banned because the author shared the same name with a Marxist. There was no relation, they just shared the same name.

Thankfully, most of what was banned in the past made a come-back at one point or another. And with the evolution of information sharing technology, it’s becoming more and more difficult to fully remove any kind of text. So at this year’s event we can be even more optimistic about this whole book-banning nonsense eventually coming to an end.

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About Blog Editor

The Women’s National Book Association was founded in 1917 by female booksellers who weren’t allowed in the men’s organizations. Nearly 100 years later, the WNBA is still supporting women in the book industry through literary events, networking, literacy projects, workshops, open mic nights, book clubs, and many other entertaining programs throughout the season!